Technologically Illiterate
by Fan Of Games
Summary: She had that thing since she first started teaching, though Greif didn't need it when she could do her work the old fashioned way. Her methods were fine at first, yet the principal and other teachers kept encouraging her to use it more often. Greif didn't make time for it and she never bothered to until recently, so a discussion with Yosafire helps her decide to try it.


Her fingers tapped the keyboard curiously, hearing the slight noise it made each time she'd press the keys on the old thing which sat on the desk in her office. It had been sitting there for four years and she never made use of it, always preferring to jot down notes and write reports by hand. She held no contempt for the computer which usually collected dust every day, but she did not see a real reason why she had to boot it on and do something with it. To say she was old-fashioned as she retained traditional methods of working and old antiques was pretty accurate. Greif didn't mind the label so much because she realized it was a simple truth about her and she accepted it, not even caring for the technological innovations Blancblack Castle produced and distributed to citizens of Gray Village directly and stores in other towns as well. Although the only things she had no choice but to use was her cellphone for important calls and other means of technology like microwaves, ovens, and whatnot, the Gryphon never understood why she had to incorporate a PC into her life.

Merely shrugging and averting her attention back to tests she was grading from a class she taught, Greif breathed deeply and flicked locks of her white hair away from her eyes so they'd not cloud her vision while focusing. She picked a pen from a container with an eraser and some of the other writing utensils she stored in it and pressed a small button on one end to push a point out. With a small sigh of insipid boredom, she set about her task carefully and proceeded at a pace she was comfortable with by comparing the students' answers to the answer sheet and determining the final results through meticulous mathematical calculations to produce their grades. This was quite easy to comprehend in her opinion because she had control over the grades as the teacher; granted, she had to make sure they were fair and justified by the responses when answers were written out, but answers to fill-in-the-blanks and multiple choice questions were somewhat difficult. Whenever she graded such questions, she would always perform the same mathematical calculations and use them if they were successful at producing the standard result set by the education board. If not, she would simply mark down how many the student got right which was actually contradictory to what some other students received; some got how many as the result, others got actual statistics.

Although her methods were not disallowed by Principal Lesley and the other teachers, she was smart enough to realize the process was kind of holding her back. They used computers when they sometimes graded work, but Greif didn't mainly because she couldn't understand them. While everyone else believed she should've made the effort to learn how to use one properly, the Gryphon decided against it mostly due to the fact she was still so unsure about them. It wasn't that she was scared of them or anything—and why should she fear them?—it was because she never understood the purpose why she had to use them in the first place. Nobody forced her to use technology, aside from Greif's own thoughts concerning which technological improvements would be useful to her.

A knock at the door caught her attention and she looked up to find Lowrie there, an arm up against the doorframe since he was leaning against it. "Hey, Ms. Greif, still working hard?" he had asked her, a backpack slung around his shoulder with a cheerful smile on his face. "I'm impressed by how dedicated you are to this job. You really do put in the extra time for it." His comment made her glance over at the clock hanging up in her office so she could see it was after three-thirty. She had started grading the quizzes at around three and wasn't halfway done with the first stack yet.

"I suppose you could say that," Greif uttered nonchalantly, blinking and averting her focus back to her work while adjusting her military cap. "I am aware it is because of how I work."

"You know," the bird demon spoke up again, ambling forward to sit down in a chair across from her, taking the one on her left, "you could start using your computer for help with that. You'll no longer have to rely on old techniques once you finally get up to date with everyone else." While his suggestion was welcome since it was a thought, Greif merely shook her head.

"Perhaps, but I prefer this way better since I'm the one who figures it out," she murmured, finishing one test before beginning another and reading it over carefully. "Why even bother using something when you have doubts about its integrity? At least I can maintain that since the grading comes directly from me instead of a computer which can fabricate results accidently or on purpose otherwise." She sighed, going over the test in her hands before taking one quick second to cast her sight on the computer. "I mean, it's not like I suspect it of doing so on purpose. It's just unclear."

"True, true, I can't argue with that. Honesty is important and all, hence why we don't make as much use of it in that regard if we feel we don't need to," her colleague agreed with the notion, nodding to show he concurred fully with it. "Still, we do double check the work through the system and with other teachers who use the same method you always follow. Although it may not always be as precise with producing the results, everything is estimated carefully based on initial findings which usually come out to be around the same outcome if not entirely exact in its findings."

"That's partly the issue I'm concerned with, Lowrie," Greif remarked, making eye contact with him. "If the consequences—i.e. the grading system via a computerized method and an actual instructor like us—range from being similar most of the time to being completely different around other occasions, how are we to know that the students receive the proper grades on their work?"

"Good point, Ms. Greif, hence why we always check our work like I said. If the results are close together every time, we determine whether some figures were more consistent than others to narrow the field. Then we analyze them further to focus specifically on the consistency before the final statistic is decided through this process," the bird demon explained simply. "And before you ask about whether it's safe because students might get poor grades for excellent work, we confirm the statistics are pinpointed to how well they've done and examine the area around that point."

"And you've received no complaints about the process despite being open about it to each of the parents and our students?" the Gryphon put forth her inquiry, wondering if they were alright with it. "I've not heard of anything myself, but you and the others must've read letters from them."

"They're fine with it," Lowrie reassured her with a smile. "We've divulged it to them and also get them involved as well at the student- parent-teacher conferences by discussing it with the students and their parents. They check our work too and we work with them to determine whether the student must improve their skills in certain areas without lowering their grades even if the work has to be redone." He placed his backpack down for a bit and got comfortable in the chair, glad to have stopped by for a conversation with the school's most aloof teacher. "Everyone benefits from it basically. The system's working fine, so everyone accepted it and offered to help fix problems."

"So it works just fine is what you're saying," his colleague replied to his explanation. "The proper functionality is alright, I suppose; though again, my point is how valid it can be when trying to analyze a student's grading. Bear in in mind I've got nothing against the system other than that."

"I see, you're worried about whether the system functioning as it should is accurate enough in that regard," Lowrie concluded the matter using their conversation as the basis of his finding to support its foundation. "I can totally understand where you're coming from, though I wonder how you can say that without having tried it yet. You've yet to use a computer, right? How old's yours?"

"Four years, and yet somehow it still seems to be working fine from what I can see so far," Greif responded, again glancing over at the thing and running her hand on top to feel how warm it was because the power was turned on. "I honestly don't understand why I must use it."

"Whoa, four years, huh? You're liable to get a new PC by this point."

Greif blinked at him, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "Come again?"

"Computers have warranties on them that are good for about a couple years," Lowrie stated to briefly explain the concept to her. "If there's a problem with it, you can get it fixed or trade the thing in for a new one. Both options come with no cost, so it's totally free. As an alternative, you're also allowed to buy individual parts to build a new PC if you wish. It's all up to the individual."

"Hmm…I don't know, Lowrie," the Gryphon murmured, shutting her eyes with a finger to her chin as she considered taking him up on that advice. She knew there was a store in the castle's technological department where people could buy such objects. It was where she got the appliances she made use of at home. "I've never tried it at all, though I really don't see the need to, honestly."

"No one's forcing you to, it's your choice after all."

"Out of curiosity, Lowrie, how did you go about acquiring your current computer?"

Lowrie smiled. "Oh, a few of the students built it as a present for my birthday last month." His cheerful demeanor when saying that obviously showed how grateful he was. "It's great and is pretty up to date with the current standard. Yosafire, Macarona, and Chelan have certainly done a fantastic job with it. That extracurricular club they joined over in the castle a few years back sure taught them all well." He laughed, thankful for their gift. "The staff could hire them as part timers."

"I see…" Greif commented and returned to her work. "My apologies for having to cut this conversation short, Lowrie, but I do need to complete the grading on these assignments. If there is anything else you require, come back to me about it another time when I'm available, if you will."

"Sure, there's nothing else of significance, really. I just thought I'd stop in to chat for a bit before heading home," the bird demon remarked and stood up while grabbing his backpack before ambling out of his colleague's office. "See you tomorrow, Ms. Greif. Good luck grading the work."

"Yes, of course, Lowrie," she replied without making eye contact because she was focusing on the grading. The quiz she was currently analyzing was nearly finished, so Greif read through it while performing the mathematical calculations based on how well written it was to determine the grade this particular student would receive. His report was pretty good even if it had a couple flaws, and the final result was a B which was still very good despite not being an A. Typically all her students were high performers—even Yosafire now that she was becoming a better student.

Her favorite student's progress was surprising, but Greif wouldn't admit it to her.

Speaking of the young demon herself, she could actually catch a glimpse of Yosafire in the teacher's lounge with Dahlia, a Pegasus who taught history and social sciences. Looking up at her when the student got her attention, the Gryphon watched as Dahlia placed a couple sheets of paper onto a table while letting Yosafire take a seat at it. "There you go, Yosaf," the Pegasus commented and referred to the demon by her shortened nickname, "here's the test you missed last Friday when you were out sick. You made sure to put in some extra time to study for it, right?"

Yosafire nodded. "Yep, thanks, Ms. Dahlia! I'm positive I'll do well!"

"So am I since you always score high on my tests," Dahlia remarked and started to saunter off towards her office. "I'm afraid I can't stay to observe you as you work, however, as I've got to run some errands on my way home. Greif should still be in at this time if she hasn't left yet, so she can do that while handling her own work if she has any." Stepping out with a briefcase, the Pegasus readjusted one of her pigtails and waved goodbye to the student. "See you tomorrow, Yosafire."

"Yeah, see you and have a good evening!" the demon replied back as she got right to work on the test, looking at the questions carefully and checking the answers. It was an entirely multiple choice quiz which she excelled at, so such a test was pretty easy for her because Yosafire followed a process of elimination to determine which of the answers sounded right or was correct. Yet tests Dahlia assigned were always easy to comprehend since she used clues directly from the textbooks to help her students figure out the correct answer. It didn't take too long because she only used the standard minimum of fifteen to the maximum of thirty questions per test. Therefore, comparing it to the work Greif did in terms of understanding the material was pretty simple; determining statistic grading was a whole different story entirely because the students didn't grade it unless one or two of the teachers allowed it during a peer review session, so that job was usually left to the teachers.

A half hour went by since Yosafire came in, and by this point she and Greif were the only two individuals left in the whole building—just like the times when the Gryphon accidently made a Morph and broke Yosafire's homework assignment. The other teachers had all left by this point and so had Principal Lesley who checked in with the young demon on how she was doing and also said goodbye to both of them. Yosafire was pretty much wrapping up her test since there were just a few questions left and she had already finished double checking the first twenty after each set of ten. Meanwhile, Greif still poured over the quizzes, having already finished one stack before taking another from the second stack she made. By the time she read it, the demon finished with her test and started going over the last set of ten questions to ensure she had the correct answer to each one before standing up and ambling over to an office door to leave the test in the teachers' mailbox, properly inserting it into one of the cubbies marked as Dahlia's mail so the Pegasus could get it.

"Okay, that's that," Yosafire remarked and stretched her arms in the air, shutting her eyes. She took in a whiff of fresh air from the open window and exhaled deeply, pleased to have finished her test. "Well, time to get home and relax with a nice movie." Prior to departing, she felt the need to just let Greif know she was done with the test—even though the teacher already heard her—and then head out. Going over to the teacher's office, she knocked on the door and poked her head into the room. "I just finished my test, Ms. Greif. I'll be heading home now," she murmured quietly in a bland voice lacking any emotion, most likely because the two of them still weren't on good terms due to Greif destroying her buzzer out of anger instead of calmly turning it off. The fact there was not any sort of oomph in her tone was enough to indicate their relations were kind of…sour.

"O-oh, Yosafire," Greif uttered, hearing her student speak up and made eye contact. While she was unable to keep herself from stuttering the first word due to a lack of some composure since she could understand why her favorite student was still upset, the Gryphon managed to calm down. "So you've completed that exam you missed. Very well you may go now," she commented, taking a quick look towards the computer on her desk as Yosafire turned to leave. "Actually, wait."

The young demon turned back. "What, Ms. Greif?" she asked nonchalantly.

"I…" her teacher cleared her throat somewhat nervously, wanting to establish better terms between them so they wouldn't be enemies all the time. "There's something I wanted to ask you." With the student still standing in the doorway, leaning against the threshold, Greif took that as her opportunity to proceed because it seemed Yosafire was silently allowing her to go on with this line of inquiry. "Lowrie said you knew how to build computers, so you'd know how to operate them?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Why, what's up with yours?"

"Nothing at all, actually," Greif admitted, deciding to be honest with her. "I just never saw the need to use one, though my colleagues sometimes insist I should give it a try."

"You mean construct one or use it?" Yosafire asked and stepped inside the office to analyze the PC on her teacher's desk while the Gryphon provided an answer to the inquiry.

"The latter, as a matter of fact."

"Then the question is why you'd bother keeping something you don't use."

Greif nodded, concurring with that statement. "True, it's been doing nothing but collect the dust that falls onto it and accumulates until I actually clean it. Even that doesn't happen often, but I will admit it occurs more frequently than I use the computer—that is that say—I clean this thing merely once every six months per year and haven't even touched it as far as usage goes."

"How many times did you clean it?" Yosafire asked, wiping a finger across the top, feeling how dusty and warm it was. "It doesn't seem like you never used it since the computer's on."

Her teacher put a finger to her and looked up to ponder her response. "Let's see…I've had this one for four years and it's the only one I've got since I don't have one at home. Of these years, I've only cleaned it up to a total of seven times so far and I know the eighth is approaching."

"Get a new computer," her student advised her, making Greif blink because she wondered why Yosafire suggested that of all things first. Granted, Lowrie suggested the same thing when he explained how the warranties in their world functioned. Although she was already away of what it was all about, Greif didn't think it really mattered too much when she didn't plan on using PCs at all. Noticing the Gryphon's obvious confusion, Yosafire directed Greif to feel the bottom with her. "See this area, Ms. Greif. It's where the hard drive is located. Feel it, it's warmer than it should be normally. If you listen carefully, you might also be able to hear the fan; it isn't working and this is what caused the whole thing to overheat and eventually burn out to kill the computer."

"So…" Greif murmured, blinking while staring at the computer in confused surprise. "It'll not work anymore?" It wasn't like she couldn't wrap her head around it since the notion was simple enough to understood, but she didn't comprehend how that happened. Was it because the computer was too old? Was the warranty still good, or did it already expire? "It's…broken? Just like that?"

Yosafire did a facepalm while deadpanning. "Isn't it obvious? You have owned this model for four years without having used it, yet the PC is on from what I can see." Apparently the demon was beginning to get a little frustrated with her teacher for not understanding something so simple. "How long has this thing been running? Have you ever pressed the power button on it, Ms. Greif?"

Although Greif didn't like her student's tone of voice, she didn't feel like chiding her for a bit of disrespect after what had happened between them. She refused to listen to Yosafire and went on to create a Morph that nearly killed her—and would've possibly gone on to attack Gray Village afterwards—and she broke Yosafire's buzzer. Greif didn't tolerate insolence from any students of hers, regardless of whether they were in her classes or not, though even she had to admit she hadn't lived up to her own expectations in that regard. Disregarding that minor offence, the Gryphon put a bent finger to her chin and tried to recollect when she last turned this thing on. "I think…though I'm not sure…I may have powered it on when I first got it to see what it was like four years back."

"Let me get this straight, Ms. Greif: you get a new computer four years ago and power the thing on; four years later you're only just now realizing you forgot to turn it off?"

"Wait, it was supposed to be turned off?" Greif asked incredulously in surprised confusion. "I thought it wasn't like other devices that had to be shut down until powered on again."

"Duh, of course, Ms. Greif! What did you think was going to happen if you just turned the PC on once and never hit the button again?" her student inquired sarcastically, losing her patience with Greif's obvious incompetence regarding computers—and possibly other kinds of technology too. "If you keep it on for that long, you've already overkilled the whole computer by now. I can't believe you're a teacher and don't know even this basic stuff, let alone how you kept it alive within a dead state." She sighed, figuring something out about her teacher which she put forth. "Ms. Greif, are you technologically illiterate?" It was a valid question, one with an easy concept to grasp since Greif believed that by it, Yosafire was inquiring whether she learned how to use computers.

"Um…" Greif considered whether she actually was taught how to use them. "Let's see…" she murmured quietly and began to count off on her talons. "I learned swordsmanship while young; I've entered the military once I became an expert at that and learned tactics, proper discipline, and how to be a leader in the angels' army; I've learned foreign languages, mathematics, history, along with literature; I know how to cook, clean, and an assortment of other things too." She sighed since she realized she hadn't taken the time to have learned about computers. "I guess not," she admitted in defeat, hanging her head in shame because she really should've known about computers too.

"All of that and you've never once taken the time to learn how to handle technology? Have you really been so busy with everything going on in your life that you couldn't make time?" These questions from Yosafire came across as fairly understanding at first, but then she asked a critically sharp question. "Or have you not even bothered to learn about computers in the first place?"

"I suppose…" Greif murmured, unsure of the answer, "it could be all three? I guess?"

"Uh-huh, you've never thought about scheduling time to learn about how to use computers and didn't really care about having possibly missed plenty of opportunities?" Yosafire concluded from their discussion, seriously concerned with how Greif managed to get by in her career without it, especially since the teacher nodded more out of uncertainty about her own issue with this matter than actual confirmation. "All this time and you've never considered it? How did you do your job without technological help Ms. Greif? I imagine it must be difficult to accomplish much at all."

"Not necessarily, no," the Gryphon spoke, feeling at ease now that Yosafire was beginning to calm down and show a bit more empathy to her plight—however severe it was. "I do not follow the standard praxis of using computers to assist with grading since I do it all on my own. Although my colleagues appear to have no problems with it, I'm not so sure about the usage myself because if we use computers all the time to verify the proper results, how are we assured of validity? How does one know if the answers are truly correct or not based on what technology tells us? What if a correct answer we found is deemed incorrect by technological breakthroughs that get it wrong?"

"I see," Yosafire remarked, finally getting to the root of the problem while sitting down in the right chair across from Greif. "Your concern isn't just with whether you're prepared or not for handling technology like computers, it's also you worrying about achieving proper results." Upon leaning forward to prop her elbows up on the desk, fingertips of each hand pressed up against their opposite counterparts on the other hand, the demon got right to the heart of her teacher's problem. "Having never tried to use computers or any sort of technological device because you haven't even learned how to use them, you are concerned with how different or wrong results may be even when you've never experimented with this procedure before. Therein lies your problem, Ms. Greif."

"Indeed, you're right on target—for the most part, anyway," her teacher admitted, nodding to confirm how accurate the girl was while offering up a counterpoint. "I do not know how to make use of computers—or how to even use them for that matter—but I do know how to operate several other kinds of technology like cellphones and whatnot for example. Though different, I admit, they are much simpler to understand because their main purpose is quite comprehensible."

"You know a lot of complex stuff and simple things, Ms. Greif, but not everything. With a few regards to your inexperience with alchemy, you have never learned it before and sought to see what it was like through me, your guinea pig in that little experiment gone wrong due to how little you know about some things. You used me for that, and I didn't appreciate it because you kept me in the dark on why you really wanted me to brew a potion so you could understand it better."

Greif sighed. "I know I've already apologized profusely for that and also for breaking your buzzer, but I really am sorry about those incidents, Yosafire. To get back on point, however, you're correct that I don't know everything. The common conception students—usually when younger in most cases—have of teachers is that they know everything. I cannot very well fit within that mold, I'm well aware of that, but I really do strive to comprehend things so I could be a better teacher."

"Hence the need to know more, correct?" Yosafire asked, leaning back in the chair. "I can tell you one thing, Ms. Greif: all technological devices must be powered off to conserve them."

"Pretty much, so to speak," Greif agreed with that assessment. "I admit, my method for the alchemy lesson was inconspicuously secret, but I'm trying not to come across as inexperienced in some matters because of my position as a teacher. I suppose you could say I'm fitting into the mold unintentionally, though I do not know how else to put it aside from that. Learning about computers contradicts that mainly because of my uncertainty concerning valid results since I have no control over the process. If I am not the one in charge of it, how would it be properly accurate?"

Her student crossed her arms. "You've acknowledged you hit an impasse on that. You keep trying to attain additional knowledge, yet are unsure if the knowledge is always precise in specific areas." Yosafire's assessment was dead-on, once again demonstrating how accurate she was.

"Precisely, that's my main concern with some fields like alchemy and other fields like that of computers," Greif commented to concur with her student's findings. She really had to give this girl some credit; Yosafire certainly did know quite a bit if not a lot herself. "I'm willing to learn a bit more about particular things to determine whether they'll be of use to me, though I'm perfectly aware of the fact that not everyone or everything is truly perfect. That's why I'm unsure if using a computer to validate results and acquire them as well is something worth learning, because if not, what have I been trying to accomplish? Granted, I'll never know unless I try, but it still feels very suspicious in my personal opinion, hence why I'm still skeptical about the notion."

"All I can say to that, Ms. Greif, is that you seriously do need to try learning about them."

Greif leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms up, feeling a bit exhausted. Although she was getting a little tired, perhaps she could just finish the grading at a later time and take home the rest of the assignments to grade them after dinner. They had already spent quite some time here discussing her issues with inexperience and uncertainty, so she figured now was a good time for a few closing remarks to end their chat about these matters. "I suppose I should," she said, beginning to pack her things up and place the remaining quizzes in a leather file case she used to carry papers around with her. "I guess the only thing left I have to ask is where I should begin looking for help."

"Look to the castle's technology department for that, or go to colleagues who can show the fundamental ropes to you," Yosafire advised her. "Get a new computer from the former or ask any person who knows how to build one produce something specific to what you plan on using it for."

"Someone like you and your friends?"

"Yeah, though I suggest you first go the technology department and speak with them about your concerns and what you hope to get out of the lessons they provide. They'll provide you with a basic model that's up to date and show you how to use it. If you're looking for something specific, try a general computer that can handle a variety of different programs; it won't be too advanced or complex regarding what you're looking for in it, but it'll help you learn how to handle a computer," Yosafire explained and stood up, knowing this was the end of their conversation. "Is that all?"

"I believe so, yes," Greif nodded and stood up as well once she finished packing up. "You will answer any additional inquiries I think of later to the best of your abilities, right, Yosafire?"

She hoped this meant their relations were mended.

"If I can," the young demon responded as she walked out, knowing her teacher had to wait for her to pack up too before leaving as Greif had a key for the school entrance.

Greif smiled, but Yosafire didn't see it. "Thank you," she said, grateful for a mended bond.

"You're welcome, Ms. Greif." Although she didn't need to see the smile, Yosafire believed her teacher really did seek to restore their relations by patching them up. Knowing Greif truly had not meant to create that Morph and also break her buzzer, the young demon decided to let her have a chance at trying to do better. She smiled as well, glad to have their teacher-student bond back.

…

 **After what happened in** _The Buzzer_ **, I felt Greif deserved an opportunity to mend her uneasy bond with Yosafire. By simply having a nice discussion about a topic like this, they've both managed to overcome that hurdle so Yosafire can respect Greif once again. Granted, it is clear Greif is really beginning to respect Yosafire in these stories pairing them together, so I'd say the two of them are really becoming a great character pairing in my opinion.**

 **I've also included another named teacher as a minor character and given her a bit of dialogue. Whether she and the other teacher I mentioned in** _The Buzzer_ **, Mr. Riktor, become recurring characters is still uncertain at this point. There are one or two main projects I can include them into which also feature Greif and Yosafire as the main character pairing, so the possibility is certainly open for them to be fleshed out as characters further if I do that.**

 **At the time of having finished this, I'm unsure if this fanfic was inspired by something from another Let's Play Achievement Hunter did. I'm referring to the second episode of the Dying Light Co-op Let's Play in which there are a couple parts of the video where they have a discussion about computers. Although I don't know if I thought of this idea before or after that video was up on YouTube, or even if inspired me to write this, I'll still put a disclaimer.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Gray Garden; it's owned by Mogeko. I don't own content from any of the videos produced by Achievement Hunter and Rooster Teeth; it is owned by them because they're the ones who made the videos—just to clarify, I don't work for them.**


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